Rail-joint connection.



No. 784,855. v PATENTED MAR. 14,4905.

J. GRAFP.

RAIL JOINT CONNECTION. APPLICATION FILED DEO.1B, 1904.

2 SHEETS-BR1113 1- WITNESSES: g

zfoagpfi Qrajf 7 i er I v ATTORNEYS No. 784,855. PATENTED MAR. 14, 1905.J. GRAPE.

RAIL JOINT CONNECTION.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.15, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES Patented March 14, 1905.

PATENT OEEIcE.

RAIL-JOINT CONNECTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 784,855, dated March14, 1905.

Application filed December 15, 1904.. $erial No. 236,962.

To (all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH GRAEF, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Calmar, in the county of Winneshiek and State of lowa, haveinvented a new and Improved Rail-Joint Connection, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.-

This invention relates to a class of railroad rail-joint connectionsthat comprise a pair of clamping fish-plates and a shoe whereon saidplates are mounted and secured, and has for its object to provide noveldetails of construction for a rail-joint connection of the classindicated which afford a very reliable clamping device for securingtrack-rails at their joints upon cross-ties of the railroad and permitthe rails to expand and contract longitudinally to conform with changesin temperature to which the rails are subjected.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination ofparts, as is hereinafter described, and defined in the subjoined claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the adjacent ends of two track-rails and ofthe improved rail clamping device engaging said ends and seated upon across-tie whereon the rail-clamp is spiked. Fig. 2 is a reverse planview of the improved rail-clamping connection and of the ends of twotrack-rails held clamped thereby. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one ofa pair of clamping-plates employed embodying a novel detail. Fig. 4 isan enlarged transverse sectional view, substantially on the line 4 4 inFig. 1, seen in the direction of the arrow 00 in said figure. Fig. 5 isa transverse sectional view, substantially on the line 5 5 in Fig. 1,seen in the direction of the arrow as; and Fig.- 6 is a perspective viewof a shoe, showing-a novel advantageous construction therefor.

Two similar clamping-plates of a novel formation are details of theimprovement, these contacting with the meeting ends of two track-railsand each consisting of integral parts formed and arranged as follows: Ona .t se-flange 8, of a suitablelength and Width,

that is shaped on its lower surface to conform with the upper side ofthe alined base-flanges A on two track-rails A, is formed an uprightflange 8, which is joined therewith at a suitable angle and has abearing contact with the webs A of the track-tails, these flanges beingbraced bytwo integral webs 8", which are respectively located near theends of the clamp ing-plate members 8 8" and project from the outersides thereof. From the lower surface of the base-flange8 of eachclamping-plate a horizontal flange 8 projects inward substantially at aright angle to the inner surface of the uprightfiange 8, this horizontalflange, which extends nearly the length of the clampingplate, havingatransverse slot (0 formed therein, which is of suitable width, andwhere the slot terminates near the base-flange 8 is formed aconvex-edged abutment b, that projects inwardly from said base-flange.The horizontal flange 8 is formed with a notch c, which trends from atransverse edge cof this flange toward the slot 0, and said notch, whichis preferably concaved on the bottom wall 0 that defines its length, hasits outer definingwall 0" sloped toward said concaved bottom, as isclearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The notch c leavesatongue o intact withthe portion of the horizontal flange that has been mentioned asseparated by the transverse slot (4 from the other half-section of saidflange 8, the outer endof the tongue that is convexed on its edgeprojecting away from the slot (L. The remaining portion of thehorizontal flange 8 extends away from the upright flange 8 a greaterdistance than the flange portion just described,and this extendedportion is notched, as at 0 toward the outer transverse edge 0 of theflange 8, and said notch, which extends from a side wall of the slot a,has its inner defining edge alined with the outer side wall of thetongue c".- The notch 0 is concaved on its bottom wall 0 and slopedoutward therefrom on the outer side wall thereof, thus producing aninwardly-converged notch similar to the notch 0. A tongue 0 is formed onthe horizontal flange 8 outside of the notch 0", and this tongue havinga rounded free end trends in an outward diagonal direction. Uponthelower side of the horizontal flange 8 a bottom horizontal flange 8 isformed integral therewith, said bottom flange projecting below andbeyond the tongue 0 or away from the inner side edge thereof, and, asshown, the edge 0 of said flange 8, that extends from the base-flange 8,may be arranged parallel with the defining side walls of the slot orchannel a. The remaining edge 0 of the bottom flange 8 is sloped fromthe free end of the edge 0 toward the base-flange 8, said flange 8extending beneath the slot or channel a, as is shown in Fig. 3, forminga bottom wall therefor. The outer side edge of each bottom flange 8terminates a short distance inside of the like edge on an adjacentbase-flange 8, producing a shoulder a, and it may here be explained thaton the inner side edge of one of said base-flanges the abutment b may beomitted.

The relative proportion of the described details is such that the twosimilar clampingplates may have their tongues c" c slid endwise into thenotches c c in respective horizontal flanges 8, and these horizontalflanges receive support from the bottom flanges 8, whereon they areseated, the longitudinal sliding movement of the tongues into thenotches and along the sloped side edges of the latter causing theclamping-plates to approach each other and forcibly impinge upon thebaseflanges and webs of the track-rails A that may have been slid intothe space between the baseflanges and upright flanges of theclamping-plates.

A key9 is provided for enforcing the clamping engagement of theclamping-plates with the track-rails A, and, as shown in Fig. 2, thecorners on the base-flanges of the track-rails at their ends may beremoved to permit said flanges to bear properly on the abutment b. Thekey 9 is flat and tapered edgewise at one end, 5 the opposite end havinga head formation thereon, which appears in Figs. 2 and 4. On the lowerside of the key the head member lb thereon projects down from the flatlower surface of the key near its end that is opposite from the taperedone, said projection affording a shoulder A, corresponding with theshoulder a on the clam ping-plate that is devoid of an abutment b. Uponthe upper side of the key-body the head portion if thereon is extendedfrom the blunt end of the key toward the pointed one and may be roundedon the upper side fora sliding engagement flange 8 and in alinement withthe slot or channel a.

It will be seen that if the track-rails A are at their meeting endsembraced by the pair of clamping-plates that have been described byinterlocking their tongues c 0 within the notches 0 0 thus causing theupright flanges 8 to engage with the webs A of the trackrails, thiscontact may be enforced so as to clamp the sides of the webs securely bydriving the key 9 into the keyways a a and through the interveningchannel a. To more clearly explain this detail, it will be seen thatwhen the key 9 is partly inserted one side edge thereof will bear upon aside edge of the slot or channel a in one horizontal flange 8, and itsopposite edge will have contact with the opposed side edge of thechannel a in the other horizontal flange. Now if the key is driven intothe keyways so that its pointed end g projects outside of one of the keyways the head portion of said key will be fully introduced within theother keyway and the side edges of the channels a will be pressed upon,so as to drive the tongues 0" c farther into the notches 0 0 and thusforce the clamping-plates into impinging contact with the webs andbase-flanges of the track-rails A A.

A shoe 10 is employed as a chair whereon the clamping-plates are seated,and is in turn seated and secured upon a railroad cross-tie. As shown,the shoe 10 is in the form of a metal plate preferably having a greaterlength than that of the clamping-plates and provided with a flange '5along each side edge, said flanges, that are projected upward andparallel with each other, affording upright walls on their inner sides,which are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the widthbetween the outer side edges of the base-flanges 8 for the clampingplates when the latter are clamped upon the track-rails A A. Tworecesses m m are formed in the upper side of the shoe 10 and having flatbottoms, the recess m being of greater depth than the recess on, withinwhich said recess m is located, these recesses respectively receivingthe horizontal interlocked flanges 8 and the bottom flanges 8, whichseat on the bottoms of the recesses, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5, therecesses being clearly shown in Fig. 6. Near the corners at each end ofeach clamping-plate a notch 72, is formed in the outer side edge of arespective base-flange 8, and in said base-flanges equally distant fromthe keyways a a two rectangular perforations a are formed in saidbase-flanges, the latter passing down through the corners of the bottomflanges 8, as shown in Fig. 2. Upon the lower side of the shoe 10 neareach end a plurality of spaced prongs 0 are formed, that are shown bydotted lines in Figs. 1 and 4.

In the employment of the improvement a cross-tie B is located on theroad-bed below the rail-joint, and the shoe 10 is seated thereon pendingportion it of the key-head is impinged upon an adjacent edge of arespective bottom flange 8, thus disposing the blunt end of the key-headnearly flush with the side edge of the base-flange.

A shallow recess 2" is formed in the flange 7: adjacent to the taperedend of the key when in service, and this recess receives the pointed endg when the shoe is slid into place be- -low the clamping-plates, toeifect which the clamped track-rails are raised from the crosstie Bsufliciently to permit the free introduction of the shoe.

It will be seen that when the shoe is engaged with the clamping-platesas described and is seated upon the cross-tie the prongs 0 will restthereon, so that they will bed into the tie when spikes 11 are drivendown through the openings 72 a into said cross-tie, the heads of thespikes that are forcibly impinged upon the upper surface of thebase-flanges 8 serving to bind the pair of clamping-plates and railsthey embrace upon the shoe l0 and secure the shoe upon the cross-tie,the embedment of the prongs 0 therein conducing to such a result.

Havingthus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. The combination with two track-rails at theirjoint, of two clamping-plates having horizontal base flanges andintegral upright flanges, the base-flanges having notches and tonguesadapted for an interlocked engagement and each having also a transversekeyway, a bottom flange on each horizontal baseflange that extendsacross the keyway, a key which when driven into the keyways forces thetongues further into the notches and draws the clamping-flanges towardeach other, and a shoe wherein the clamping-flanges seat, theclamping-flanges and shoe having alined perforations through whichspikes may be driven.

2. The combination with two track-rails at their joint,of twoclamping-plates having horizontal base flanges, extended toward eachother from respective upright flanges, said base-flanges each having atransverse channel through it, and also having notches and tongues atthe sides of respective notches, the notches in one flange receiving thetongues on the other flange, a key having a head on one end thatprojects below the lower side of the key forming an oflset shoulder,said key when driven through the opposed channels drawing theclamping-flanges toward each other, and a shoe having a recess in itsupper side, and flanges at its side edges, the recess in the shoereceiving downward-projecting portions of the base-flanges that seattherein, the shoulder on the key-head then bearing on the side edge ofthe adjacent base-flange, and one flange on the shoe contacting with thehead of the key holding said key in place.

in testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JOSEPH GRAFF. Witnesses:

C. S. Boron, FRANK H. REUM.

